Milwaukee is chock full of things to do, but only a handful of Milwaukee events are worthy of the lofty honor of “Record Recommended” (patent pending). Here are our recommendations—brought to you by Lilliput Records—for July 21-27, 2025.
MONDAY, JULY 21
Musical Mondays: Mississippi Heat @ Lake Park Summer Stage
No Milwaukee outdoor summer concert series is quite as cozy—or quite as eclectic—as Musical Mondays. The free summertime series takes place on the Lake Park Summer Stage, near the playground, throughout July and August. And this year’s season—Musical Monday’s 27th!—looks to be another winner. “A storied Chicago blues band led by harmonica master and songwriter Pierre Lacocque, Mississippi Heat’s name and sound are a reflection of the harp man’s reverence for Mississippi’s blues culture and music.”
Brian Ritchie And The Zen Gardeners @ Foundation
Oh Well, OK + King In Yellow, Fake My Death @ Cactus Club
TUESDAY, JULY 22
Chill On The Hill: Abby Jeanne And The Shadowband + Immortal Girlfriend @ Humboldt Park
For two decades, Bay View Neighborhood Association’s Chill On The Hill music series —presented in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks—has brought music to Humboldt Park’s band chalet every Tuesday between the beginning of June and the end of August. The entire 20th anniversary lineup is great, but a homecoming performance by Abby Jeanne and a rare outing by Immortal Girlfriend—a.k.a. Milwaukee’s “Dark Knights Of Synth”—makes tonight’s installment especially compelling.
Buick Audra + Sleepersound @ MKE Ultra
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
Milwaukee Record Presents: Hot Fuzz @ Avalon Atmospheric Theater
The Edgar Wright-directed 2007 action-comedy Hot Fuzz is the second film in the “Three Flavours Cornetto” trilogy, following 2004 breakout zombie comedy Shaun Of The Dead and preceding 2013 sci-fi bar crawl romp The World’s End. Like those films, Hot Fuzz stars the incomparable comedic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, both of whom are at their best here. This time around, the pair portrays police officers in the quiet rural English town with an extremely low murder rate, but “accidents” aplenty. Pegg and Frost are joined in this hilarious thriller by a star-studded supporting cast that includes the likes of Bill Nighly, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman, and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman.
Lord Huron + Lee Fields @ Miller High Life Theatre
Tosa Tonight: The Verve Pipe + Brett Newski & The Bad Inventions @ Hart Park, Wauwatosa
Joseph Huber Band + Derek Pritzl, E.B. Albeit @ Falcon Hall
Sanguisugabogg + Stabbing, Putrid Stu @ X-Ray Arcade (sold out)
Sour Widows + Dusk, Gash, DJ Liz E McGuire @ Cactus Club
Washington Park Wednesdays: Big Style Brass Band + Kal Bergendahl @ Washington Park Bandshell
‘Home On the Stone’ Puppet Musical @ Amorphic Beer
Peter J. Woods + Francis Thornton, Collapsing, Belǣfan @ MKE Ultra
Breaking Benjamin Unplugged: Ben Burnley + Josh & Lacey Sturm @ The Rave / Eagles Club
Wonderful Wednesdays: Yid Vicious @ Lake Park Summer Stage
Heart(beats) Of The City: Jon Hintz & Friends @ Red Arrow Park
Mayfair Collection Summer Concert Series: The Unrulies @ Keady Plaza
Summer Film Series: Coco @ Deer District
Summer Sounds: Ben Mulwana @ Hubbard Park
THURSDAY, JULY 24
Nate Bargatze @ Fiserv Forum (also July 25)
Is there a better stand-up comedian working today than Nate Bargatze? The veteran comedian has been blowing up in recent years—he’s hosted Saturday Night Live twice since 2023—all thanks to his decidedly low-key and fundamentally hilarious material. Remember when stand-ups didn’t have to be tiresome edge-lord culture warriors? And they could just be…funny? Huh! Anyway, Bargatze brings his so-called Big Dumb Eyes 2025 world tour to Fiserv Forum tonight. Oh, and the tour includes all new material!
Letters To Cleo + Fig Dish @ X-Ray Arcade
Letters To Cleo came to Milwaukee last year to treat Summerfest to an afternoon performance of songs chosen at random, including material from various stops in their career and a few fun covers. This summer, the Boston alternative rockers that first made waves in the ’90s come back to the region to play an indoor show.
ArtBlaze Beach Party @ McKinley Beach
Last year, local public art nonprofit Joy Engine gave the Milwaukee summer a jolt of unexpected fun with a series of so-called ArtBlaze beach parties. The free all-ages shindigs return to McKinley Beach this year, complete with local music, local vendors, and plenty of s’mores. Oh, and 25-foot “HydroBloom” inflatable sculptures from FuzzPop!
The Palmer Squares + Toby Raps, Jinari @ The Cooperage
Oh Well, Ok + The Paper Flames, Old Timer @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Between Howls @ Ope! Brewing Co.
Concerts On The Green: Southbound + Matt Tyner @ Enderis Park
Edelweiss Concert Cruise Series: Failure To Launch @ Milwaukee River, 205 W. Highland Ave.
It’s Alive: Ginger Whimy – Living Statue @ Milwaukee Public Market
Jazz At The Vine: Milwaukee Jazz Institute @ Humboldt Park
Thursday Bike Night Concert Series: Rock Revolutionaries @ Harley-Davidson Museum
Tunes@Noon: Darryl Armistead @ Courtyard of 411 East Wisconsin Center
Under The Bridge: The Whiskey Farm @ Third Space Brewing
FRIDAY, JULY 25
Riverwest 24 @ Riverwest (also July 26)
VIVA LA RIVERWEST! “By encouraging bikers and spectators to come out for a full 24 hours, we hope to show off Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood and encourage biking in an urban environment. Through this exercise in stamina, team work and merriment we hope to build an event that all people in Milwaukee and beyond can enjoy by participating in, volunteering for or by cheering on the riders. This is an event for anyone who wants to participate. You don’t need to be a bike racer to join in. Check out the race route, call your neighbors, grab some lawn chairs and join us this July! This race is for people who enjoy biking, want to push themselves, or just want to participate in an event that is like nothing else you have encountered.”
German Fest Milwaukee @ Henry Maier Festival Park (through July 27)
“Welcome to German Fest, a Milwaukee tradition held annually on the Summerfest grounds, along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan. One of the largest German festivals in North America, German Fest Milwaukee is known for its authentic food, culture and entertainment. We invite you to bring the family, raise a stein, polka the night away and make it YOUR tradition.”
Soul Asylum + Brett Newski & The Bad Inventions @ Vivarium
“Since the ’80s, Soul Asylum have been one of the most inspiring and hardworking bands in the rock scene, a group known for their raucous but emphatic combination of punk energy, guitarfueled firepower, and songs that range from aggression to heartfelt. Initially known as Loud Fast Rules, the band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when frontman Dave Pirner was still in high school, and quickly became part of the celebrated Minneapolis music scene along with such cohorts as The Replacements and Hüsker Dü.”
Alley Eyes (record release) + Bugsy, Well + Good @ Cactus Club
Are we in the midst of an “indie sleaze” revival? You know, that pocket of 2000s-era music and culture epitomized by bands like The Strokes, The Killers, and LCD Soundsystem? That moment in time when everyone was wearing jean jackets, smoking cigarettes, and hanging out with Slash and Guided By Voices in dive bars? While one could argue that Milwaukee has never left its indie sleaze era—or that it has always existed in an indie sleaze era—bands like Alley Eyes are making the case for a full-blown homegrown revival. Tonight, the band celebrates the release of a new EP, Bondage In The Afternoon.
Jinksie + Claw Toe, The Statics @ Sabbatic
Less than halfway through the debut record from Milwaukee punk-rock trio Jinksie, singer-guitarist Wendy Norton and singer-bassist Amelinda Burich shout out what could be either a sentiment of kinship or a veiled threat. “We’re just like you! We’re just like you!” they snarl on the song of the same name. The group’s old-school punk sound may be inviting, but something about its overall vibe suggests running into its members in a dark alley would be—like its name suggests—a bit of bad luck.
Riverwest 24 MishMash Fest: Dead Man’s Carnival @ Art Bar
SAUCED Night Market @ The Cooperage (also July 26)
Chamber Music Festival @ Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens (through July 27)
White Dry Pages + Mari Mari, Bryan Cherry @ Club Garibaldi
Allison Mahal Duo @ Ope! Brewing Co.
The Argo Free Concert Series: Justin Witte @ Ivanhoe Plaza
Current Sounds: Micah Emrich @ Lakefront Brewery
Starry Nights: De La Buena @ Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts
SATURDAY, JULY 26
Brady Street Festival @ Brady Street
Back in 2024, Milwaukee’s beloved and long-running Brady Street Festival made news by moving to a week earlier than its normal “last-Saturday-in-July” date. For 2025, however, Brady Street Festival is “returning to its roots” and moving back to its original date. Diet Lite, The MilBillies, the Brady Street Babes drag show will headline the three main festival stages. Lilliput Records will also host music throughout the day. Before those big acts, music will be provided by some of Milwaukee’s (and Wisconsin’s) best. Find the musical lineup HERE.
Milwaukee Brewfest @ McKinley Park
“Taste your way through unlimited pours offered by the world’s best brewmasters. There’s something for everyone!”
South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade @ South Milwaukee
Shinedown + Bush, Morgan Wade @ Fiserv Forum
Current Sounds: Maximiano @ Lakefront Brewery
Sparrow Blue + 5pm To Nowhere, Sushi Cowboy @ Shank Hall
LustSickPuppy + CPU Buddha, Bonnie Baxter, blissom and chriad @ Cactus Club
Ken Vandermark’s Edition XL @ The Estate (early and late shows)
carpEDM: DJs Fuzzy Logic + Frog Legz @ Mad Planet
SUNDAY, JULY 27
Lucy Dacus + Jay Som @ The Riverside Theater
A lot has changed since the last time Lucy Dacus was in Milwaukee. Since an early 2022 Turner Hall performance (which she had to play while resting on a couch on account of a back injury), Dacus has won three Grammys from her work as a third of Boygenius. Along the way, she also found time to release Forever Is A Feeling, her fourth solo album, which topped both rock and folk charts after it was released in March 2025. She comes to The Riverside Theater tonight as part of her Forever Is A Feeling Tour.
The Big Wu + Sugar Bush @ Ope! Brewing
MC Chris + Swell Rell @ X-Ray Arcade (late show)
Lucky Goat + CM Porterfield, Rustbucket Rye @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Giants Chair + Key Of Evil, Devils Teeth @ X-Ray Arcade (early show)
Daisychain + Stone Theory, Shade Seeker, Wisconsin Space Program @ Cactus Club
Alexa Russo + Kent Avenue Carpool, James Norcross, Claire Martine @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Summer Patio Music Series: Jack Tell @ Great Lakes Distillery
Cathedral Square Market: Jeanne Marie Farinelli @ Cathedral Square Park
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